Problem Children

Episode 1: Different

Point of view: Yuri

Normal. One of the scariest words I knew. Normal is set to be the standard of almost everything. Let's just say it is normal for you to walk because you have feet. It's normal for you to breathe because you're alive. That is how most people define normal. But what if I tell you this: "to a spider, making her web is normal. To a butterfly, it is a nightmare". The mainstream society had similar perspective of what is normal, but for those who are different, all because they don't follow the crowd, are called weirdoes and other words which are defined the same. In the end, normal is defined based on one's selfish perspective. And I hated to be normal.

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It was a normal day, in my normal route in going home at school. Like any casual person, I walked into the crowd. Everything was just so ordinary for me, because at the first place, it was. But all of a sudden, I stopped in the middle of the mindless crowd. I started to observe everyone in my surroundings. Everything was too ordinary. There's something that I'm not really contented at. There was something missing.

While I was wondering what was missing, I realized that everyone was still walking and seem unbothered. I am I the only one thinking about it, I thought. But knowing that no one was there with the same expression like I am, it was clear that it was only me who had thought of it. At the very first time, I saw the world with only two colors... black and white. Little did I know, I stopped being the ordinary person, and started to know what the world really was... it was cruel.

My name is Yuri. It was almost the end of my middle school years when I started to realize many things. I saw the connection of every people's action. As if they follow a pattern... a code... a rule... and it was something they got used to. Though, they also see the connection, they don't usually pay attention to it. They rather go and live with it... because again... they got used to it. Unfortunately, I was one of them. I didn't usually pay attention to the connections. In fact, I just pretend that I didn't see it at first. But there was this unusual force that kept on dragging me away from it.

They say all people seek for a difference. Yet, after noticing that they follow a common rule, I can say that difference is something very rare in this world.

A baby learns the way of life through what he sees, hence, actions speaks louder than words. "Make a difference!" that's what most teachers say to their students. How many times have I heard that phrase? And it was not only teachers who had said it. Posters, politicians, businessmen, advertisements, parents, and other things... all said the same three words. They themselves didn't make any difference! As if, those three words was like a baton in a relay race. Just to be passed to another player until they reach the finish line. And what's the finish line? It was "DIFFERENCE" itself. The trick in winning the race is to stop passing the baton and finish the race yourself. And according to what I see, only a few finish this race.

What if... I decide to be different? What if I stop following this mainstream society and go all by myself? Sure enough that I'm not the only one who had thought of this.

"Hey Joemar, have you ever thought of being different?" I asked my friend.

"Different? Well... yeah. Everyone's unique afterall." He replied.

"If everyone's unique, then why does everyone follow the same pattern?"

"Is that how you see it?" Joemar said with some concern, "I think it's not a pattern. I think it's just the same decisions with different actions. That's why everyone is unique."

Joemar has a point. It's the same decisions with different actions. It felt like it was a question having only two possible answers: Yes or No. But after we decide a suitable answer for us, our courses of action differ from each to other, which is a good reason why different outcomes exist.

"Yet, I saw the same actions all over again from different people." I stated,

"Then I guess, it's just common sense." He replied.

Common sense. No wonder there's the word "common" in that phrase. By common, it means the majority.

Then I started again...

"If everyone is unique... Then, what makes you unique from everyone?"

For a moment after I asked the question, we were both silent. It seems like Joemar couldn't answer my question after I saw his face. Though all I did was plant an inception of uniqueness. But if I ask myself the same question, I also can't answer it.

"Anyway, why are you bringing this up again?" Joemar asked, changing the subject.

"Have you ever thought of being different once?" I replied, "Almost everyone's way of life are similar. What only differs is the point of view. Doesn't it motivate you for being more different?"

For a moment, Joemar gathered his thoughts. Then he came up with a reply...

"No..."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because if you wanted to be more different than the others, then the only outcome for you is to be left behind. With today's generation, we follow the majority of people. And as what they usually say: THE MAJORITY ALWAYS WIN." Joemar explained.

The majority always win? That statement felt wrong in my ears, and indeed it was. Surveys, elections, declaration of rules, all of this are done because of the majority. If it was done by only one man, it will be obvious that it'll end up being a chaos. But, did we eliminate the chaos when we had done things through the majority?

Let's say for example: if there are 50 students in a classroom, and 49 of them agreed to one stupid thing, and the remaining 1 didn't. Then, will the "stupid thing" still be considered "stupid"? If you said yes, then you're wrong. Why? Because the majority has decided. When the majority has decided, the principle of right and wrong is neglected. The majority will now decide what's right (though obviously wrong) and what's wrong (though obviously right). That's how society works...

"Today's generation follow the majority" that's what Joemar said. Follow the majority? Will you ever get somewhere with that principle? How can I say this... I see the majority is like a swarm of Krill. The only thing that is waiting for them is to become a whale's breakfast. Those who get eaten are sacrifices for others to survive. While the others that survived will have to repeat their life: reproduce and follow the swarm, if lucky enough, get eaten. That's how I think of when you follow the majority.

Unfortunately, Joemar can't see what I saw. I can't blame him though. Others can't see because it was not their purpose to see it. As for others who had seen it, they have the obligation to act something about it because they have the power to change the world. But that's just my opinion. I don't know what others think about it. So... Am I the only one who had seen this???

WHAT MAINSTREAM SOCIETY THINKS: You're just over reacting....